


Stay

by etcetera_kit



Series: No Heroes Allowed [2]
Category: Super Sentai Series, 宇宙戦隊キュウレンジャー | Uchu Sentai Kyuranger
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:54:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23829430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etcetera_kit/pseuds/etcetera_kit
Summary: From the Jark Matter-adjacent regime to fighting high-level officials, Naga and Stinger work through understanding, first times, close encounters and fighting for their family. Through everything, they have each other. Follow-up to No Heroes Allowed.
Relationships: Naga Ray/Stinger
Series: No Heroes Allowed [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1716742
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	Stay

**Author's Note:**

> As I shared with 8bitstrawberrie, this fic has only been a year in the making! Shout-out to 8bitstrawberrie for all the encouragement and conversations, and thanks to dietwatermelon, nossanblue and bia-bonne for giving their opinions on my fanfic ideas!
> 
> Big note for this before you read: In "No Heroes Allowed," Present is when Naga is seven and a half months pregnant and they're on Needle. All the "ago" and "later" sections are counted from that point. I keep that same center point in this piece. These sections are chronological, but count from the Present point.
> 
> I'm super excited to present this piece! Enjoy!

**Stay  
** _ And I’d be blessed by the light of your company, slowly lifting me to somewhere new...  
  
_ _ Eleven and a Half Months Ago  
_ The house was too big and empty and quiet. Naga shivered as he padded downstairs and into the kitchen. Nearly five. Stinger would be getting home soon. He pulled his sweater more securely around him, patting his pocket to make sure his Kyutama was in place. Having his Kyutama close to him made him feel better, safer. Stinger was kind when he was home and they were alone (or Champ was around), but he had to blend in with the other Gilead officials and could turn cold and aloof immediately when they were around. Naga understood the necessity, but he didn’t like seeing Stinger so calculating.  
  
One of the responsibilities of the bearers was to prepare meals. A cleaning robot came through the house a few times a week, and Stinger had talked about getting Balance assigned to his household for cleaning purposes (which meant Naga would need to help him, because Balance was not good at cleaning), but preparing meals was considered absorbing enough yet easy for the bearers. Naga had tried at the training center and only made mediocre meals at best. (He’d been punished for that.) Stinger had said he didn’t have to make food-- he would prepare something when he got home. But he spent all day spying on these people and was exhausted. Naga spent all day in the house, alone, reading or training or finding spots the cleaning robot missed. Seemed the least he could do.  
  
He’d been defrosting some chicken breasts in the fridge and could make a passable teriyaki chicken with vegetables and rice. They had some carrots, snowpeas, peppers and onions he could use for the vegetables. He’d made the meal a few times in the short time since being placed with Stinger. The routine was familiar. He put the rice in the rice cooker, and then set about chopping the vegetables. He then mixed the sauce, and chopped the chicken. He was slow chopping things, so getting that prepared took him nearly half an hour. But once everything was ready, completing the meal didn’t take long.  
  
The sauce had just thickened nicely in the pan with the chicken and vegetables when Stinger came in the back door of the house (which led straight into the kitchen.)   
  
“Naga,” he said as he took off his coat and shoes. “You don’t have to do this. But,” his expression softened. “Thank you.” He stepped into the kitchen, gently squeezing Naga’s shoulder. “It smells good.”  
  
“It’s just teriyaki chicken.”  
  
“You make good teriyaki chicken.”  
  
Naga finished stirring everything together and turned off the burner on the stove. Stinger reached into a cupboard and got two bowls. He scooped a portion of rice from the cooker into each bowl, and then let Naga put a serving of the chicken and vegetables in each bowl. Since Naga didn’t prepare extra, he put the pan and his cooking utensils directly in the cleaner. Stinger set the bowls on the table and got chopsticks and two glasses of water.  
  
As they sat down and started eating, Stinger said softly, “Really, this is good, Naga.”  
  
“Thank you,” he mumbled.   
  
“I can put together a casserole tonight. Then all you have to do is put it in the oven tomorrow afternoon.”  
  
Naga nodded, but added, “I really don’t mind cooking. I’m just not that good at it.”  
  
“Naga…”  
  
“I’m here all day. I need something to do.”  
  
“You can do whatever you want.”  
  
He shrugged. “There’s not a lot of choices.”  
  
“I know.” Stinger reached across the table and gently squeezed his wrist. “And I’m sorry. I wish we could leave here, but this regime is a Jark Matter stronghold. Rebellion wants more intel.”  
  
Naga knew all that. And Stinger carefully used his brother’s influence to keep people out of their business. He didn’t host parties or teas or anything where someone would come to the house and Naga might have to play the part of a dutiful bearer.   
  
He also felt guilty. He was alone all day. Champ went with Stinger, and Balance was stationed at another house. Stinger spent all day playing the part of a Jark Matter official and gathering as much intel as he could for Rebellion. He was tired when he got home. Stinger needed time to relax and decompress in the evenings, while Naga was starved for contact and company and wanted to spend time with Stinger.   
  
Naga looked down, pushing food around in his bowl, not really eating. “Do you like cherry or apple?” he finally whispered.  
  
Stinger blinked. “I like either. Why?”  
  
He shrugged again. “I thought maybe Champ could take me to the market and I could get the things to make a cobbler. I’m okay at making that.”  
  
“You want to go to the market?”  
  
“It’s not so bad just to get food. And Champ would be with me.”  
  
“Naga, are you okay with that kind of pressure? I don’t want to make you be part of this hellscape like that.”  
  
“I’m tired of being in the house all day.”  
  
“Naga--”  
  
He shouldn’t have asked. This was just another thing for Stinger to deal with and he couldn’t ask even more of him. He stood up, pushing back from the table. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s too much.” He did the only thing that made sense when he was afraid of a confrontation-- he hurried out of the kitchen and upstairs to his room. None of the doors here had locks, so Stinger could come in if he wanted, but he didn't. He gave Naga that much privacy.  
  
He laid down on his bed. He was a Kyuranger-- that’s what the Kyutama meant. He was one of the nine legendary saviors. He was supposed to save the universe, defeat Jark Matter and yet, he was stuck here until Stinger got enough intel that they could be extracted. In protecting him, Stinger had accidentally made sure he had nothing to do. He was grateful for Stinger’s protection, he really was. But he’d survived here for almost two months, including the training program. Plus he had his Kyutama. He could help with the intel.   
  
Communication was always fraught, even when he and Balance had first become friends. He simply didn’t know the niceties of communicating with others, didn’t know how to communicate his ideas and feelings without getting flustered-- like just now-- or getting steamrolled.  
  
Only a few minutes passed before Stinger knocked on his door.  
  
“Naga?” he called softly. “Can I come in?”  
  
Stinger would leave him be for a while if he said no, but he called a quiet affirmative. He didn’t want to be upset with Stinger and didn’t really want Stinger upset with him. Even outside of these circumstances, they were both Kyurangers. That meant they needed to work together.   
  
The door opened and he felt Stinger’s weight as he sat on the edge of the bed. His fingers gently ran through Naga’s hair, brushing the strands away from his forehead, out of his eyes. “Would you please come downstairs so we can finish eating and talk about this?”  
  
He nodded and let Stinger tug him out of bed, taking his hand and leading him back downstairs. In the kitchen, he noticed Stinger had boiled some water and made two cups of tea. Stinger didn’t like tea that much, but would drink some with Naga. The tiny gesture made him feel a little warm. (Like he didn’t drink coffee, but would always make some for Stinger in the morning.) Their dinner was still warm on the table. He sat down, watching as Stinger took his own seat.  
  
“I knew I had you cooped up here,” Stinger started, “But I didn’t realize how much that was wearing on you.” He shook his head. “I should have just talked to you. You were so scared and traumatized when you first got here, my first instinct was to keep you as far away from all of this as I could.” He looked earnest when he said, “I’m really sorry.”  
  
“Me too,” Naga replied. He picked up his chopsticks.   
  
“You can run errands with Champ,” Stinger continued. “A lot of the others do that here, so it would not be unusual.” He paused. “Do you think you’re up for it?”  
  
Naga nodded. “Then I can make sure the groceries are right and not what Champ thinks organics eat.”  
  
Stinger smiled. “He does get some weird ideas.” He gave Naga a long look. “Stick with Champ when you go out. If anything feels weird or uncomfortable or just not right, have Champ take you home. We’re trying not to risk exposing Champ as a Kyuranger, but he will henshin in a moment if he needs to protect you, me or Balance.”  
  
“But they already know you’re a Kyuranger?”  
  
“Yeah, that’s how I got into Aniki’s inner circle. But Champ? And now you and Balance? We need to keep it quiet because I don’t want to have to fight our way out of here. Or have them decide to kidnap any of you.”  
  
“I’ll be careful. I promise.”  
  
“I know you will.”  
  
They continued eating in a comfortable silence. Stinger had made some orange green tea, the kind with no caffeine. Exactly what Naga liked to drink in the evenings. Naga hadn’t had much of an appetite since coming here, but he managed to finish his portion of dinner. (No weird leftover amounts to be in the fridge or going to waste.) Stinger took care of putting their dishes in the cleaner and doing a final straightening of the kitchen.   
  
“Want me to give you a foot rub?” Stinger threw out, trying to sound casual, but Naga knew he was very serious about the offer. “Maybe give you a backrub with some of that lotion you like?”  
  
“Yes,” Naga replied. “I would like that.”  
  
As they made their way into the living room, Naga caught Stinger’s hand and squeezed gently. “Thank you,” he whispered.  
  
  
_ Ten Months Ago  
_ Stinger came into the house. The kitchen was warm and smelled like fresh bread. He smiled as he took off his jacket and boots. “I’m back,” he said softly.  
  
Naga looked up from where he was setting the table. “Welcome home,” he replied.  
  
Nothing was simmering on the stove, so Stinger assumed the dinner was warming in the oven. He caught Naga around the waist as he straightened and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Naga smiled softly, that little tiny smile that Stinger loved. When Naga turned, he caught him in a sweet, chaste kiss. “Is dinner warming in the oven?”  
  
Naga nodded.  
  
Stinger kissed him again. This time catching him open-mouthed and deepening the kiss. Naga responded immediately, pressing his tongue against Stinger’s, eager noise coming from the back of his throat. Gods, Stinger loved kissing Naga. He tasted like clear running water and pure air, none of the grit and deceit and lies that hung in the air like a cloud in this place.   
  
They broke apart to breathe, and Stinger rested his forehead against Naga’s, just sharing space for a moment. “Dinner is just warming,” Naga said, voice hoarse, cheeks flushing as he continued, “The food will be fine there for a while.”  
  
Stinger pulled him in for another hot kiss, feeling Naga’s clutch his shirt.  
  
“Let’s go upstairs,” Naga suggested breathlessly.   
  
He gently brushed the hair from his forehead, hand lowering to trace his lips for a moment. “Are you sure?” Stinger asked. They’d been kissing, making out, for a while now, some of their sessions getting pretty intense, but they’d always backed off before things turned into sex.   
  
“Yes,” was the soft response. “I want to,” and then even softer, “with you.”  
  
Stinger kissed Naga quickly and then took his hand, leading the way upstairs to his room. They’d started out slowly, with Naga sleeping next to him after nightmares, which seemed to calm him down (and at least let him get some rest at night.) After they decided to start a relationship, Stinger had asked Naga if he just wanted to start sleeping in his room all the time. Naga readily agreed. Naga trusted him, and Champ had given Stinger a hard time about being overprotective of Naga. He’d just retorted that Naga had been traumatized in that training center and Stinger would be damned if anything else happened to him here.   
  
But this was so much more than that, Stinger thought as they got up the stairs and into his,  _ their _ , bedroom. Naga was so smart and strong and a goddamn force to be reckoned with. He didn’t know his own strength right now. But gods, he came from a closed-borders system, one that Jark Matter invaded, forcing them to flee to their colonies, scattered. They still avoided emotions, put themselves through reconditioning, but that was hard. Jark Matter invasions had been going on for centuries and Naga said casually one time that he had been born naturally about a year after his parents were forced to flee the main system and go to the colonies. Naga never really wanted to talk about anyone he knew in the Ophiuchus System, but he did say he met Balance one evening, who had been snooping around the outskirts of the colony for stuff to steal. The rest, as they say, was history.   
  
They had not known each other long, two months at most, but Stinger had never felt about anyone else like he did Naga. He wanted Naga in his life for a long time, could picture a future together, growing old together, but gods, they needed to get out of this place first.  
  
“Stinger?” Naga asked, gently tracing his cheekbone.  
  
“What?” he responded with a smile, pressing a kiss to the corner of Naga’s mouth.  
  
“You just looked really far away for a moment.”  
  
“I was just thinking about us… how I feel about you.” Naga watched him, silver eyes wide and affectionate. Naga expressed emotions, but still grappled with them, how to express what he was feeling in a constructive way. Stinger knew this might confuse him, but he whispered, “I love you, Naga.”  
  
Naga smiled, a genuine smile, and leaned forward, pressing a long and chaste kiss to his lips. “You’re incredible,” he said softly. And then lower, husky, “I want you.”  
  
“I want you too,” Stinger murmured back, getting an arm around Naga’s waist and backing him towards the bed. Naga half-fell onto the edge of the bed, smile still present. He kicked off his slippers and backed a little further onto the bed. Stinger leaned over him, one knee on the bed, cupping his face as he kissed him soundly. Naga mewled into the kiss. Gently, so he didn’t startle Naga, he pushed the sweater from his shoulders, letting him shrug the garment off and to the side. He then gently grasped the bottom of the long-sleeved shirt and Naga helped him push that over his head and off.   
  
“Your turn,” Naga whispered, hands pushing at the hem of his own shirt. Stinger grinned and grabbed the neck of his shirt, pulling the thing off.   
  
He nudged Naga further onto the bed and he went easily, trusting, laying back. Gods, he was beautiful, all pale, smooth skin. Stinger knew there were scars on his back and his feet, but those weren’t visible now. Naga had no body hair and the faintest pattern of scales was over his skin. Stinger grinned again, then gasped as Naga ran a hand down his side, fingers moving to his back, touching the base of his tail.  
  
“Let’s get these off,” he breathed, fingers going to unbutton Naga’s pants. Naga watched him under hooded eyes, tracking his movements, but not stopping him. Gods, Stinger was practically shaking as he slid off Naga’s pants and shorts in one go, pausing to make sure he got his socks too. Naga shivered as the air hit newly exposed skin, but didn’t disguise his obvious arousal, erection curling towards his stomach, skin flushed pink from desire. “You are so gorgeous,” he commented.  
  
Naga smiled, and then reached towards his belt. Stinger returned the smile, knowing exactly what Naga wanted at this point. He stood up and shed his pants, shorts and socks, returning to the bed with nothing between them. He settled between Naga’s legs, leaning down and starting another hot, fiery kiss that Naga eagerly responded to. He felt Naga’s arms around his neck, pulling him closer. This was amazing, all heat and electricity, and he knew his own arousal matched Naga’s. He knew, of course, from those awful documents the training center provided, exactly what Naga’s anatomy was and how they differed, and he’d idly wondered in a down moment what sex with Naga would be like. He wanted to start slow, nothing too intense or wild as they started. He wanted Naga to get comfortable with the intimacy, decide on his own what he wanted to try or experience. Because Stinger could think of a lot of things and he wanted to try them all with Naga.   
  
Now those idle thoughts were coming true.  
  
Stinger broke the kiss, slowly moving down Naga’s neck. He tilted his head, giving him more access, pleased noise coming out of him. He got down to his collarbone, slowly sucking a mark there that made Naga’ cry out in pleasure. His hips bucked, back arching a little.   
  
“Stinger,” Naga ground out. “I want…” but he trailed off, like he was unable to come up with words to describe what he wanted.  
  
“More?” Stinger supplied.  
  
“Yes,” was the immediate response, ending on a whine.  
  
Who was Stinger to deny him? He reached between their bodies, gently but firmly grasping Naga’s length and stroking once, down to the tip. Naga’s noise was loud and needy and definitely said that he enjoyed  _ that _ . He stroked again, this time adding the slightest bit more pressure and then stopped to use his thumb to spread around the wetness that beaded at the tip. Naga’s breathing was fast and harsh. Stinger, himself, was rock hard at this point and lowered his hips so that their erections touched. Naga moaned at the sensation and Stinger made an incoherent noise himself.   
  
Stinger got his hand around both their erections, getting a good rhythm going. Naga’s hips were moving, trying to get more contact, and his hands scrambled over Stinger’s back. He kissed him, long and hard, before resting his forehead against Naga’s. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.”  
  
“Stinger…” was the only word to come out of Naga.  
  
After a moment, Naga wrapped a leg around Stinger’s hips, desperately trying to get closer, get  _ something _ , and Stinger realized that Naga was also aroused  _ the other way too _ . Gods, this was absolutely amazing. He knew, because Naga had explained, he could only climax from one set of reproductive organs or the other, and their biology had a failsafe that meant no one with both sets, like Naga, could impregnate themselves. But there was nothing saying that a little pleasure from the other set wouldn’t set Naga off further on their current path.  
  
He gently lowered one of Naga’s hands down to their erections, guiding him, getting him to copy what Stinger had been doing. And,  _ gods _ , those slim fingers wrapping around him  _ felt so damn good _ . Another kiss, and he got his hand even lower, between Naga’s legs, feeling the wet heat. Feather-light, he ran a finger down Naga’s opening. Naga’s hips shot straight off the bed, back arching, and he shouted, actually shouted. His hand faltered a little on their rhythm, but Stinger didn’t care.  _ Gods _ , he could come just from watching Naga like this.   
  
Staying as light with his touch as he could, Stinger moved his finger a little inside, wanting to touch Naga just right for…  
  
Another shout, and Naga was all but off the bed, rhythm completely gone, eyes wild, skin flushed red and beaded with sweat. Stinger rubbed again, just to see that  _ fucking beautful _ reaction. Naga let out a sob, tear rolling down his cheek. Stinger immediately leaned down, pushing his hair from his eyes. “Are you okay?” he questioned.  
  
Naga nodded. “I’m just… just…”  
  
Close. That was what Naga was trying to say. Stinger lowered his hand, getting Naga back against the bed. Naga closed his eyes, hand still working on their erections. One last rub and Naga came completely undone, crying out and spilling hot between their bodies. He collapsed against the bed, utterly and completely spent. Stinger moved his hand up, back to his own erection, giving himself a couple of firm strokes. Naga shook himself and added his hand, and Stinger followed him over the edge, gasping and breathing Naga’s name.   
  
After a long moment, Stinger moved and settled by Naga’s side. Naga shivered and immediately curled against him. He wrinkled his nose a little at the mess on their stomachs. Stinger smiled. “How do you feel?” he asked.  
  
“Good,” was the breathy reply. “Really good.” Naga rested his head on Stinger’s shoulder. “I was right. It’s much between when you do it.” Naga lifted his head a little. “When can we do it again?”  
  
Stinger laughed. “As soon as we’re both ready.” He added on, “Although I think you probably want to take a shower first,” and then Naga’s stomach rumbled. “And eat something.”  
  
Naga groaned theatrically, as if basic biological functions were interfering with his plans. He ran a hand down Stinger’s chest before whispering, “I wonder what it feels like if you’re inside me.”  
  
Stinger bit back a moan. That sounded perfect, but, “If we do it that way, can’t you-”  
  
“No,” was the quick reply. “I can end the ovulation cycle. We won’t need to worry.”  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“In that case, we can try whatever you want.”  
  
Naga snuggled against him and Stinger wrapped both arms around him. He knew that this entire regime was dedicated to producing children, but their infertility epidemic was limited to their region on this planet. Part of this spy game did not include Naga getting pregnant or delivering a baby. They were getting out well before someone got suspicious about that, and bearers taking six months to a year to finally conceive was not unusual around here. They had time.  
  
Funny how Naga gave him hope.  
  
  
_ Eight Months Ago  
_ “You didn’t get all the dust off the table. You have to use a cloth, not just the feather duster.”  
  
“Hey, I’m the one cleaning. Not you!”  
  
“But if you don’t clean it right and someone comes over, they’ll know that Stinger isn’t making us do our parts and there will be trouble.”  
  
“Naga, who ever comes over here? We’ve been here months and Stinger has never once hosted a party or tea or whatever. All that happens at Scorpio’s house.”  
  
“Scorpio could insist!”  
  
“Stop worrying, sheesh. I can tell Stinger hasn’t been home much because when he’s actually around and you two get up to your organic naughty stuff, you are much more relaxed.”  
  
Naga blushed at the insinuation that he was in a better mood when he and Stinger could… well, Balance was not entirely wrong about that. Gilead was hosting a series of conferences with other key Jark matter strongholds and Stinger had purposely involved himself in each conference. He was getting a wealth of information on a daily basis, and even Naga had opportunities to gather some secrets. (With the infertility epidemic in this region and surrounding regions, Gilead liked to show off the bearers when those surrounding regions were present. Naga had learned a lot from the other bearers about the dark secrets in their households.)  
  
Balance had been reassigned to Stinger’s household about a month ago. He’d been used for outdoor maintenance and grounds work at his last house, and the official was moving closer to the city, in a townhouse with no need for a groundskeeper. Stinger seized the opportunity to requisition Balance. Champ had been in a duel role of security and driving, and grounds work, so now Champ only had to do the former. Balance cleaned and maintained the grounds. He was bad at the cleaning part, so Naga helped him, hoping no one would notice anything amiss. (To keep up appearances, Balance and Champ did have to stay in a room above the garage and not in the house. Which gave Naga and Stinger privacy in the evening.)  
  
He still grabbed a dusting cloth and dusted the tiny porcelain figurines. The house had been furnished when Stinger arrived, so none of the knicknacks were actually his. Balance was flourishing the feather duster, but hardly doing any actual dusting. Naga wiped down the table under the figurines as well. He’d heated up some soup for his own lunch a little while ago, but he wanted to make a cherry cobbler for dessert. Stinger really liked the cobbler, especially cherry, and they even had a little bit of vanilla ice cream for the top. That would be nice, after all the stressful, long days he’d been having.  
  
The doorbell rang.  
  
Naga froze.  
  
Balance started and the feather duster went flying.  
  
“Who the hell is that?!” Balance hissed. “People don’t come here!”  
  
Naga’s heart pounded in his chest and his mouth felt dry. This was bad. Really bad. When he’d been reminding Balance this was a possibility, he hadn’t wholeheartedly believed that could happen. Stinger was too careful. They were in the front sitting room now, and the door was mere feet away. He was clutching the dusting cloth too tightly, shaking hard.  
  
“Okay,” Balance said, “You just stay there. I’ll get rid of them.” Balance started imitating something Stinger had told them many times before, “I’ll have to check with Stinger-sama. Stinger-sama wouldn’t allow us to do that. I can’t go against my master’s orders.” Balance shook his head. “Stinger will mess you up if you try anything.”  
  
Balance peered out the window by the front door, moving the curtain a little.   
  
Unconsciously, Naga backed himself into a corner of the room.  
  
He watched, terror growing, as Balance opened the door. “Elidron-sama,” he greeted, bowing a little.  
  
“Is your master home?” the official asked, pushing past Balance and into the front hall.  
  
“No,” Balance replied, still ducking his head in what was supposed to be a display of respect. “He’s away on business all day.”  
  
“Did he say when he would return?”  
  
“Stinger-sama does not usually give us his return time. He’s very busy.”  
  
“You master seems very disorganized for someone in Scorpio-sama’s favor…” But Elidron trailed off on the thought. His eyes landed directly on Naga, who had backed himself into the corner. Naga’s stomach felt loose and watery under Elidron’s gaze. He’d heard chatter from some of the other bearers about the unpleasant things that could happen with some officials. The truly evil ones. Like Elidron. Most officials didn’t want to share, but a few helped themselves to other officials' things. Stinger kept Naga away from official circles for that very reason. (The only comfort Naga got was that, once they left, they’d be able to dismantle all of Jark Matter, including this regime.) “You’re this household’s bearer?” Elidron commented. “I have never seen you before.”  
  
Balance scrambled to put himself between Elidron and Naga. “Stinger-sama is very particular and very private,” Balance said. “He does not want his bearer to be influenced by others.”  
  
“He’s had you months now and hasn’t managed to produce a child?” Elidron’s expression grew sinister and dark, in spite of the smile. “He must not be using you properly.”  
  
Naga tried to back up more, but his back hit the wall and he slowly sank to his knees, trying to curl in on himself, protect himself from anything that might happen. Balance was still between them. They didn’t carry their Seiza Blasters with them, but their Kyutama still let them pack a hard punch. But he could hardly have that thought, a roaring started in his ears. This was just like the training center and he felt helpless to stop anything that was coming.   
  
Elidron took a step forward. “Perhaps I can fix that for him.” His hand went to his belt buckle.  
  
Naga could not stop the soft whimper that came out of him. Elidron would grab him, strip him and do whatever he wanted, after subduing Balance with a mechanical shock device. No one would hear any of his screams and, if they did, no one would care or stop Elidron. Tears fell down his cheeks. He desperately wanted Stinger or even Champ to be here.  
  
“Elidron-sama! Stinger-sama will be very angry if you do anything to his bearer and you do not want to risk the fallout from Scorpio-sama.”  
  
“He doesn’t have to know.”  
  
Elidron pulled out the shock device the people here used on androids and mechanical beings. Balance was still protesting, but Naga could not quite hear the words.  
  
But then Elidron’s communicator went off.  
  
“Ah, Stinger-sama. Yes, of course. I will meet you there. Bye.” Elidron fixed Naga with a stare he felt rather than saw, and tossed out, “Next time,” before the front door opened and closed.  
  
Someone was sobbing. Naga didn’t realize right away that he was making the noises.  
  
“Hey, Naga, it’s okay. He’s gone. I set the security system. He can’t get back in.” Balance had crouched down in front of him, hands on his shoulders. He waved a tiny device. “Panic button. It alerts Stinger and Champ that we’re in danger, and also gives them the GPS signals of anyone close by. That’s how Stinger knew to call Elidron and tell him to meet him somewhere.”  
  
Naga wiped his eyes, trying to control his breathing, before he realized something horribly embarrassing. His complete and utter fear when Elidron came into the house had taken over, reminding him too much of the training center and what he knew could happen. He’d wet himself and felt himself flush deeply at the realization.   
  
Balance seemed to realize what was wrong at the same moment.  
  
“Naga, it’s okay. You got scared. Come on, I’ll run you a bath and take care of things down here.”  
  
Naga shook his head, his first instinct to refuse help because he was mortified. “No, I’ll--”  
  
“Naga,” Balance cut him, voice uncharacteristically serious and quiet. “Things happen. When you’re this scared, let someone else help you.”  
  
Balance tugged him to his feet. He felt shaky and loose, and resisted the urge to look back at where he had been curled up. What was done was done-- he couldn’t change the situation by being more humiliated about what happened. He tried not to focus on how dirty he felt, still crying softly as Balance led him upstairs. Naga had his own room and bathroom, but used Stinger’s and Balance knew that, so he pushed Naga into Stinger’s bathroom (which was bigger with a large tub.) His hands were shaking, and he just watched as Balance turned on the water, got a good temperature, added some oatmeal powder and waited for the water to get to a good level.  
  
“Just leave your clothes outside the door,” Balance said. “I’ll bring you some clean ones in a little while.” He patted his shoulder. “Just relax for a little while.”  
  
Balance quietly left the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind him. Naga tried to wipe away a few tears. He didn’t want to get undressed, because that would make him feel more vulnerable. But he also didn’t want to keep wearing these clothes. Balance had set the security system and Stinger knew Elidron had come over. Nothing else would happen. He just kept repeating that to himself. His desire to be out of his soiled clothing took over. Still shaking hard, he stepped out of his clothes, taking longer than he normally would and placed the bundle outside the bathroom door, shutting the door completely.  
  
He sank into the warm bath water, glad that the oatmeal powder made the water opaque. Still crying, he slid down until the water was up to his neck. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to forget all the paralyzing fear. None of the training center teachings had come to pass for him, but Naga knew that was not the case for so many others. And Stinger could only do so much. He sniffed hard, leaning his head against the side of the tub. He wanted to leave here.   
  
A soft knock on the bathroom door startled him. He must have dozed off. “Naga?” Stinger.  
  
“Come in,” he called, rubbing a hand over his eyes.  
  
Stinger came in, holding a bundle of his clothing. “Brought you some clothes,” he said softly, placing the stack on the counter. He came over to the tub, perching on the edge. His fingers gently massaged Naga’s scalp as he continued, “Balance told me what happened.”  
  
Naga didn’t want to talk about what happened, so he redirected with, “You’re home early.”  
  
“Yeah, you’re more important than whatever intel Rebellion wants.”  
  
“You should get back.”  
  
“I told Aniki I needed to work out some of the security designs. He agreed.” Stinger’s fingers were still running through his hair. “Besides, I’m not leaving until I know you’re okay.”  
  
“I’m fine,” Naga replied automatically.  
  
Stinger didn’t call him out on the obvious lie. He hummed quietly and reached for a bottle of shampoo. “Can I wash your hair for you?”  
  
That was one of the things Naga hadn’t realized at first about Stinger. He always asked for permission when he was going to do something more than touch his hand or shoulder. Or run his fingers through his hair. He wanted to make sure Naga was comfortable with more and that included simply asking if he could do something. Since their relationship began, consent seemed a little more implied for touching each other or cuddling. But Stinger still asked about a lot of things.  
  
“Okay,” he agreed, ducking down in the water and getting his hair wet. He could hear Stinger squeeze a little of the shampoo into his hand and set the bottle back on the tub ledge. The shampoo smelled spicy and rich as Stinger worked it into his hair, massaging his scalp. Naga closed his eyes, leaning into the touch. This felt good, calming and relaxing. Stinger seemed to like this too, as Naga had done the same for him on occasion.  
  
After a few long moments, Stinger said softly, “You can rinse now.”  
  
He ducked under the water again, rinsing the shampoo out and surfacing quickly. He wiped the water out of his eyes and away from his face, while Stinger grabbed a hand towel and helped with the process. Stinger stared at him for a long moment before leaning forward and pressing a long, chaste kiss to his lips. Naga held on to the kiss, savoring the comfort in that simple gesture.  
  
“You ready to get out of there?” Stinger asked, reaching to grab a bath towel.  
  
Naga nodded, suddenly feeling exhausted. He had to stifle a yawn.  
  
He let Stinger pull him out of the tub and wrap the towel around him. “I’m going to put together a casserole for dinner,” Stinger said conversationally as he helped Naga dry off and dress in comfortable clothes. “Then we can eat whenever.”   
  
“Don’t eat the ice cream,” Naga blurted, and then softly, “That’s for the cobbler I was going to make today.”  
  
“You can make it tomorrow,” Stinger reassured him. “You look like you should lie down for a little bit though.”  
  
Naga nodded and let Stinger lead him into the bedroom. He pulled back the covers and held them up so Naga could crawl into bed. Once he was laying down, Stinger tucked him in, including covering him with the orange afghan that he loved so much. Pressing a kiss to his forehead, Stinger whispered, “I’ll always protect you. You know that, right?” He fell asleep before he could answer, and didn’t even hear Stinger draining the tub and straightening the bathroom.  
  
The sun was setting when he woke up a few hours later.   
  
He could hear soft voices in the kitchen as he crept downstairs.  
  
Stinger and Champ were sitting at the table, a hologram schematic open in front of them. “No,” Stinger was saying. “I still need a backdoor in. If we make this too ironclad, we’re never getting out.”  
  
“But that’s still obvious,” Champ pointed out. “You need to bury it.”  
  
“How?” Stinger ran a hand through his hair. “Raptor is much better at this,” he muttered. He looked up as Naga came into the room. “Hey, you,” he greeted. “Dinner is in the oven.”  
  
Naga nodded and got a bowl from the cupboard. Using an oven mitt, he pulled out the pan and scooped a little into the bowl. He replaced the food in the oven, and then sat down at the table with his serving. He frowned at the hologram. “What are you trying to do?”  
  
“Put in a backdoor security protocol. Basically a weakness we can exploit when we need to leave, but disguised so that they won’t notice it when we deploy the new devices and code.”  
  
“One key or many?”  
  
“Preferably just one.”  
  
“Okay.” Naga nodded. “You can embed it in the subcode. Most security professionals don’t check the code itself. They just look for weaknesses in the main programming and then test the strength. But if we make the key something they might use, even if they find it, you can brush it off as a failsafe protocol.”  
  
Naga blinked, realizing Stinger hadn’t said anything and was staring at him.  
  
“Did I say something wrong?” he whispered.  
  
“No,” Stinger replied quickly. “I just forget you know how to do this.”  
  
“And are damned good at it!” Champ added. He stood up and clapped Stinger’s shoulder. “Come on. Let Naga work. You can help me fix the washing machine.”  
  
“You mean I’m fixing the washing machine while you watch?”  
  
“I’m handing you the tools.”  
  
Naga studied the designs, distractedly eating as he began the process of rewriting the code and adding the backdoor that Stinger wanted. This work was familiar. He had studied aerospace engineering and programming on his home planet, and had picked up plenty of hacking skills when he and Balance stole from Jark Matter. (That was the whole reason they ended up here-- there was supposed to be a big haul, but there was too much security.)  
  
As he worked, he barely heard Stinger and Champ coming in and out of the room. His focus was totally on the work at hand.   
  
After a while, Stinger interrupted him with a soft, “Naga?” brushing his hair from his forehead.  
  
He blinked. Two hours had passed.  
  
“Want to take a break and have some of the cookies I made?” Stinger set a cup of tea on the table as well. Chocolate chip cookies were cooling on the counter. Naga nodded eagerly, rubbing his eyes as he looked away from the code. “One or two?” Stinger asked.  
  
“Two.”  
  
Naga did not miss that Stinger put three cookies on the plate and set the plate down in front of him. “How’s it going?”  
  
“Very well. I’ll be done soon. Then I can give you the details before you submit the work to Scorpio and the other officials.” He bit into one of the cookies. Still warm and so delicious. “Where did you get the chocolate chips?”  
  
“Balance traded with one of the other domestic androids. Gave them some cinnamon.”  
  
Canned fruit, like Naga used for the cobblers, was relatively common, but some spices and luxury items, like chocolate, were in short supply.   
  
Stinger smiled a little. “When we get back with Rebellion, we’ll have all kinds of food options. Spada can cook anything and it’s all delicious.”  
  
“I like your cooking,” Naga said softly.  
  
Stinger looked surprised and pleased at the compliment. But he pressed forward with, “I think I’ve not been planning efficiently. You’re much better at security design than I am. I can convince Aniki I should work from home. Then you can manage the designs and other technical work, and I’ll do the housework and cooking.” He added, “Maybe even finish your afghan.”  
  
“You still have to train Balance and me,” Naga reminded him. “And get intel from Scorpio.”  
  
“I know.” Stinger let out a soft breath. “But Naga, we can still make this work. I know you’re tired of being cooped up here. Maybe working on the designs will help?”  
  
Naga had to admit, Stinger was probably right. He seemed to spend all day fretting-- worrying about Balance not cleaning something correctly, worried someone would find out they were all Kyurangers, worried that someone would notice something amiss in their household and they would all be jailed or worse before any of them could react… Naga was exhausted. And if he felt burned out and tired down to his bones, he could not imagine how Stinger felt.  
  
“Okay,” he agreed softly.  
  
“Good.” Stinger smiled at him as he ate the cookies, gently brushing his hair out of his eyes. “You at a stopping point?” He nodded. “I think we should get some rest.”  
  
In spite of his nap that afternoon, Naga agreed. He was tired, and he wanted to be close to Stinger. They’d need to navigate their new roles in the next few days, but Naga was not overwhelmed. This was a challenge he looked forward to.  
  
He just wished they could leave.  
  
  
_ Two Months Ago  
_ Naga was calling him. This was the fourth time that morning. He and Champ had been on the surface on Earth, tracking Scorpio. Intel said that he’d left Gilead shortly after them, leaving whatever bearer he’d had in that regime. Stinger couldn’t really think of that. After blowing his cover and effectively defecting from Scorpio’s entourage, Stinger was on the outs with Jark Matter and hadn’t been able to talk to his brother. He wanted to know why Scorpio murdered their people and joined Jark Matter in the first place. He couldn’t have asked when he was undercover, but now, Scorpio had resurfaced and Stinger had this chance to ask him, to finally get some closure. Bring Scorpio to justice.  
  
Naga hadn’t wanted him to go. Got stubborn, told him this whole mission was an extremely bad idea and he was going to get hurt. And Naga needed him to come home. Stinger knew that, gods, he knew. Naga was over four months along and Stinger needed to focus on their future. He  _ knew _ that. But by all the gods, he wanted to shake his brother. He was being reckless and stupid, and the only reason Naga relented was because Champ insisted on going with him.   
  
Stinger hit the command to mute the call.  
  
“Who was that?” Champ asked.  
  
“Nothing. Where the hell is Scorpio? He was supposed to meet us here ten minutes ago.”  
  
They’d finally tracked down Scorpio, he said he had an explanation for his actions, and told them to meet him later that evening. Champ didn’t trust him.  
  
_ “Stinger, he’s a Jark Matter assassin. He killed Doctor Anton for defecting from Jark Matter. You know the only reason we were able to go undercover is because they thought you wanted to join him and knew you were a Kyuranger. And they let me in because they thought Doctor Anton never reprogrammed me so I was still a Jark Matter fighting robot. That’s it. And we blew that cover getting Naga and Balance out of Gilead. And honestly, Stinger? This is foolish because you have a baby on the way! You need to be on the ship, concentrating on Naga and getting ready for that baby. She doesn’t care about some stupid closure you need with your brother.”  
  
_ They didn’t know yet if the baby was a boy or a girl, or even a baby like some Ophichuian people who were somewhere between male and female. Stinger didn’t really care what gender the baby ended up being. Raptor and Naga’s doctor back at Rebellion headquarters said the baby was healthy and growing well. And yet, Champ had decided the baby was a girl.  
  
“We should leave,” Champ said firmly.  
  
“No--”  
  
“Stinger, Scorpio is late! He probably had no intention of coming here.” Champ mooed, obviously annoyed and frustrated. “This is probably a trap.”  
  
“You think everything is a trap,” Stinger muttered.  
  
“That’s why I’m still alive,” Champ shot back. “None of this makes sense.”  
  
“He killed that other assassin that was with him!”  
  
“That’s Madako-- she regenerates, and you know it!”  
  
“Something’s wrong with all this. He said he would explain!”  
  
“There’s nothing to explain!”  
  
“My brother would  _ not _ have betrayed and murdered our people without a reason!”  
  
Champ huffed, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. Stinger knew exactly what he was thinking. Good and honest people did horrible things. They might start with the right reasons, but eventually, those reasons got cloudy and far away, until nothing was left but greed and darkness. Maybe Champ was right. He needed to go back to the ship, call Naga back, forget this entire stupid thing. Let Lucky or Garu or any of the others bring Scorpio in.   
  
But then Scorpio appeared from the shadows.  
  
Stinger’s heart pounded uncomfortably in his chest.  
  
A menacing half-smile was on Scorpio’s face. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, and didn’t sound sorry at all. “Been a long time since Gilead.”  
  
“Three months,” Stinger muttered.  
  
“Tell me, how did you two get the snake and the scale out of that place? You were gone by the time the Eyes noticed your residence was empty. It was that Rebellion android, wasn’t it? You couldn’t have pulled that off without outside help.” Scorpio sighed. “You were always spies, weren’t you?”  
  
The casual use of the offensive terms for both systems rankled Stinger. “Don’t you wish you knew?” he shot back. “Tell me what’s going on.”  
  
Scorpio’s expression softened a little. Not the cold, calculating look that Stinger had come to know during their time in Gilead. This was more like the older brother he loved and cherished. The son that his parents doted on. The golden boy from their village who was smart, talented, could have had his pick of careers but went into the militia to protect their planet. Which only made him more of a hero. Stinger looked up to him, practically worshipped him, even when they were kids. Scorpio was a teeanger sharing a room with a preschooler and then grade schooler, and he never complained, never made Stinger feel bad for being an annoying kid. Stinger went into the militia to be just like him. His parents had wanted him to go college for mechanical engineering, and he’d had a shot, but no, he wanted to be like Scorpio. Look where that got them.  
  
His older brother sighed. “Systems all over the galaxy were losing battles with Jark Matter. Brute force wasn’t enough.I thought I was smart enough to infiltrate Jark Matter so I could destroy it from the inside.” He exhaled, looking away from Stinger. “But I was naive.” He shook his head. “Really naive. They wanted proof of loyalty. And they knew our village’s militia was at that encampment. The price to join them was simple-- kill everyone at that encampment. Cripple our forces.”  
  
“Why the fuck did you agree to that?” Stinger yelled, anger coursing, blood pounding in his ears. “ _ I _ was there. You could have killed me too!”  
  
“I had no choice!” Scorpio yelled, then lowered his tone with, “If I hadn’t done it, they would have sent someone in eventually. Our militia was too good. Too much of a liability.” He looked at Stinger. “And you’ll notice I didn’t kill you. Jark Matter allowed me to at least spare my brother.”  
  
Champ mooed softly.  
  
Stinger blinked, not understanding. There had been chaos that night. How could Scorpio have kept track of  _ him _ in order to spare him? That might have been possible, but he’d been in too many battles, knew how unpredictable those could be. Loose threads… unraveling… his stomach ached. Champ was right. They had to get out of here.  
  
Scorpio continued, “You don’t know the things I’ve done to reach the rank of Chief Retainer. How many people I had to kill. Including that robot’s maker.”  
  
“We already know Jark Matter had you kill Doctor Anton because he defected!” Champ interjected, voice loud. He sounded angry. Anger was good. Anger was going to get them out of here. Stinger felt weak and loose and hopeless, and even more betrayed than when they first walked into this room. He  _ should _ have listened. He should have called Naga back. His daughter was going to grow up without a father because he was so  _ stupid _ .  
  
“I’ll pay for everything I’ve done some day,” Scorpio continued. “But that will have to wait until I have defeated Don Armage and saved the galaxy!”  
  
Stinger stepped back. Scorpio thought he still believed this lie. Perhaps when Aniki had first joined Jark Matter, he was going to bring them down from within, but not even the Chief Retainers saw Don Armage. He was too well-protected. Don Armage had armies defending him from his own people. And Scorpio was just an assassin turned Chief Retainer. Nowhere near close enough. And why was he revealing all this? If he was truly going to take down Don Armage, he had to play the role of a loyal Chief Retainer, work his way through the ranks and assignments, become a Vice Shogun. Stinger had been a spy long enough to know how  _ that _ worked. Another loose thread…  
  
“Shut-up!” Champ yelled. “We’ve heard enough of your lies!”  
  
He grabbed his axe and lunged at Scorpio, who dodged the attack easily. “How do you know I’m lying?” Scorpio countered.  
  
“We’re spies,” Stinger cut in, even though his voice was shaking. “Your story about sparing me doesn’t make sense, and why would you reveal your infiltration plan?”  
  
For a moment, Scorpio looked like he would defend the lie, but then he dropped the face and became the cold, calculated sociopath from Gilead. That smile was pure evil and sent shivers down Stinger’s spine. “You always were fairly smart, for a weak crybaby.”  
  
Scorpio stepped back. There was a rumbling in the floor, and a Death Worm sprung from the ground. Stinger immediately ducked back, deflecting the rocks and dirt, covering his eyes. Champ stood directly in the blast, not worried about something like that damaging his armor or optics. Dammit, now they had Scorpio and a Death Worm to deal with. Stinger quickly hit the emergency signal on his Seiza Blaster, silent, but would summon back-up to their location. He had no idea who Ronpo would send and he didn’t particularly care who right now.  
  
The Death Worm was between him and Scorpio, and the thing lunged for Stinger. He deflected with his spear. “Bastard,” Champ yelled, ducking around the worm and getting a direct line of fire at Scorpio. His older brother had always been the better fighter, and he smacked away the attack with his tail. Death Worms were loud and terrifying, and Stinger was doing all he could just to keep the battle going, not succumb to the pure brute strength of the thing. Death Worms shouldn’t even have been on Earth. Some Jark Matter asshole imported them.  
  
A blast of light.  
  
“Talk about lucky!”  
  
Never thought he’d be glad to see Lucky being loud and obnoxious, leading Garu, Balance, Hammie and Spada into this warehouse. The blast distracted the Death Worm and the creature immediately rushed at the others. He saw what Lucky’s plan had been. Lure the Death Worm away, so Stinger and Champ could deal with Scorpio.  
  
He couldn’t really hear what the others were doing.  
  
His focus was on Scorpio.  
  
He rushed at his brother, and Scorpio flung him back with his tail. Stinger tried to counter with his spear and his own tail, but Scorpio got the jump on, punching him hard across the face. The blow temporarily stunned Stinger, and he staggered lower to the ground. Scorpio was on him again, this time with a knee to the ribcage. Dammit, he couldn’t get his footing, and his brother had always been a better fighter. Scorpio grabbed the back of his jacket, the next punch sending him reeling backwards.  
  
“Partner!” Champ called, rushing to his aid, and getting thrown back by Scorpio.  
  
“How does it feel?” Scorpio asked him, sneering. “You’re still weak and useless. And now you can add betrayed by your own brother to that list. Our planet and family are worthless!”  
  
“We’re not!” Stinger cried back, pain in his head almost blinding him. “I wanted to believe your lie, but it’s just that, a lie.  _ You _ are not my brother! My brother would never do this!”  
  
“I was always going to do this.”  
  
Champ was next to him, and Stinger had trouble focusing. Aniki had drawn back his tail, and Stinger took a moment to comprehend what he was doing. He was going to strike with his tail, a killing strike for any organic, scorpion or not, and one that would corrode machines. They were too late, Aniki’s tail was coming for them. Gods, he was so, so  _ stupid _ . He wanted to tell Naga and their baby how sorry he was, how much he wanted to take everything back, he loved them, but there was no  _ time _ .  
  
And then Stinger got shoved to the ground.  
  
And Champ cried out.  
  
Stinger’s jaw dropped open and he felt frozen as he saw what happened. Champ had pushed him out of the way and took the strike for him. That tail embedded firmly in Champ’s chest plate, and then withdrew. Scorpio smirked and then disappeared from the building.  
  
“Champ!” Stinger screamed as the robot fell to his knees. The poison would eventually reach all his operating systems and he would be forced to shut down. Stinger scrambled to his side. “Why did you take the hit for me? Why? Champ!”  
  
“Idiot,” Champ replied, voice already rough, on the verge of shutting down. “You don’t need your brother. You have me and Naga, right? Let Rebellion bring him in properly. You don’t need to do this. Go take care of your family, partner.”  
  
Champ’s eyes stopped glowing and Stinger could see he had completely shut down.  
  
“Champ!” he yelled again, even though he knew Champ could no longer hear him. He realized he was sobbing, head resting against Champ’s chest plate, not wanting to let go of his friend. Dammit, Champ had been his closest friend ever and now he was gone because Stinger was stupid. He wanted to die, wanted this to all go away, but he wouldn’t. That wouldn’t solve his problems, even though he was overwhelmed and now grieving. His best friend was gone. His brother was all but dead to him.  
  
He wasn’t sure what happened, but he woke up in the ship’s infirmary.  
  
His head hurt and breathing made his sides burn.  
  
“You had a pretty bad concussion, black eye, bruised jaw bone, four fractured ribs and a hairline fracture in your collarbone.”   
  
“Naga?”  
  
He heard some movement. And then Naga was standing by the bed. He tried to shift to face him, but couldn’t really move without causing himself more pain. He winced.   
  
“I’m here,” he said, leaning over Stinger. He immediately felt guilty. Naga looked exhausted, pale and drawn, with dark circles under his eyes. Of course, Stinger had been an asshole and didn’t fully think of Naga. He should have stayed on the ship. Should not have gone after his brother. But now he had to face the consequences for everything he had done. Naga should leave him. He was going to be a terrible parent, couldn’t even get his head right around his brother.   
  
Naga pressed something into his hand. He raised his palm just enough to see what was there… Champ’s Kyutama. A tear fell down his cheek, followed by another. His chest hurt, but he was crying anyways.   
  
“Raptor and Balance aren’t sure if Champ will ever come back online,” Naga continued, voice soft and devastated. “They’re sending him to Rebellion headquarters so the experts can work on him. A lot of the parts are corroded from the poison, but he backed his memory up to the ship’s server. Raptor says there might be a chance, but no one is sure.”  
  
Stinger started crying harder. He couldn’t really move, knew he needed to hear all of this, even if he didn’t want to. Naga sighed.  
  
“I’m sorry, Naga,” Stinger whispered.  
  
“I know you are.” Naga exhaled harshly. “I know this was important to you, but now… I need you to choose. Your past and your brother… or me, our child and our future.” Stinger opened his mouth to reply, but Naga stopped him, “Don’t say anything right now. Raptor wants you to stay in the infirmary for another two hours. She’ll release you when more of the fractures have healed. I need to lay down. We’ll talk when you get out of here.”  
  
He heard Naga leave the infirmary.  
  
He kept crying, holding Champ’s Kyutama.  
  
He’d fucked up so badly and he didn’t know what to do.  
  
\------------------  
  
Raptor released him from the infirmary two hours later. His chest felt sore, but no longer felt on fire when he tried to breathe or move. Normally, when his thoughts were this jumbled, he’d talk to Champ and just thinking of his friend made him spiral down in guilt. So he did the next best thing. He called his parents.  
  
And his father delivered the appropriate truth to him.  
  
_ “Stinger, that was just about the stupidest thing you could have done. I have faith Champ will come back online and you’d do well to listen to whatever he says. And as for Naga, you are damn lucky he hasn’t already left your sorry ass. You better go agree to whatever terms he gives you and follow through with them. I know you love Naga, and you better go prove it.” _ His dad had also softened a little, and added,  _ “Look, Stinger. I want you to patch things up with Naga also because I’m a little selfish and would like my grandchild in my life. You’re smart. You can change and you can fix this.”  
  
_ He was standing outside the door to his room.  _ Their _ room. Naga never had moved into the empty room that was technically his when they got to the ship after Gilead. He just brought his things into Stinger’s room and never left. He knew Naga was in there. Raptor had suggested that Stinger go to the galley and try to eat something, otherwise she wouldn’t allow him to take any more painkillers that night. He couldn’t choke down food, so no more drugs for him. Gods, he needed to just go into the room. Face whatever was waiting for him.  
  
Why was he such a damn coward?  
  
The door slid open, startling him. Naga was standing there, wearing a pair of gray jersey pajama pants and light blue tunic style shirt, both things that Stinger had made him. His cat plush was tucked under his arm, and he looked even more exhausted than when Stinger last saw him in the infirmary.  
  
“Please get in here and do not just stand out there,” Naga stated quietly.  
  
That was enough motivation for Stinger to get in the room. The door slid shut behind him.  
  
He watched as Naga crossed the room to the bed. Taking in the scene, he saw that Naga must have already been in bed. The covers were pulled back, the overhead lights were off, just a soft glow from the two bedside lamps. Naga’s pillows were against the headboard and his datapad was on the bed.  
  
“Were you asleep?” Stinger choked out.  
  
“No,” Naga replied neutrally. “I knew you’d be getting out of the infirmary soon.”  
  
“What are you doing?” he asked vaguely, gesturing at the datapad.  
  
Naga narrowed his eyes. “Filing the ship’s maintenance reports for Raptor.”  
  
“Oh.” Stinger had no idea why he was grateful this wasn’t some baby-related thing. That felt so loaded right now. Just this thing, hovering between them. “Naga, I--”  
  
Naga sat back down on the bed, and stopped him with, “I don’t want to hear your apologies. I already know you’re sorry. I need your actions to match.”  
  
A tear rolled down Stinger’s cheek.  
  
Naga sighed. “Stinger, please sit down.” He paused, and glanced at the jacket and boots in Stinger’s hand, and added, “Maybe put those away first?”  
  
He quickly shoved the boots under his desk where they lived and put the jacket over the back of the chair. Naga didn’t love that so much of his clothing ended up there, but had also given up trying to get him to put his clothes in the closet. He went to the bed, gingerly sitting down across from Naga. “Do you feel okay?” he asked, then mumbled, “I’m really sorry I didn’t pick up your calls earlier. Are you sick?”  
  
“No,” was the soft reply, then those gray eyes gave him a sharp look, “But you better be completely incapacitated if you aren’t answering me again.”  
  
Oh, the next time Stinger didn’t pick up a call from Naga, he could guarantee he’d be dead. More tears fell. Stinger knew crying was stupid and pointless and wasn’t going to fix anything, but he was completely terrified and desperate to prove he’d do anything Naga wanted, just give him a chance to fix this. He loved them, both of them. He wanted his future and his family.   
  
Naga sighed again. “I’m not sick,” he continued, then added, “At least not as far as pregnancy-related things go.” He looked at Stinger. “Do you want me to tell you what you need to do to make this right? Or do you have something to say that isn’t ‘I’m sorry’ first?”  
  
“Champ told me this whole thing was stupid,” Stinger mumbling, acutely feeling the shame and guilt. He could hardly meet Naga’s eyes and knew he was flushed.  
  
Naga shook his head. “Balance told me I should leave you.” His eyes were bright, and hells, Naga looked as miserable as him. Stinger’s heart plummeted into his stomach. “You’re reckless, thoughtless, won’t think about me or our child in the future. I’m better off without you. Balance said he had money, resources, he’d help me out. Basically, I don’t need you.”  
  
“Naga--”  
  
He held up a hand, stopping Stinger. “Let me finish,” he said softly. “I thought about it. But then Raptor told me I should listen to Champ’s last words.” Naga looked directly at him. “Champ told you to take care of your family. Are you going to listen to him?”  
  
“Yes,” Stinger said immediately.  
  
“Good, because I told Balance I wasn’t leaving you and if he wanted to be helpful, he could go buy a bunch of the things off the baby’s registry.” Naga let out another breath. “I was then informed that the stroller I picked out wasn’t good enough and Balance was going to buy us a better one.” He almost smiled. “Balance is my best friend and I know he cares a lot. I also know Champ is your best friend and Champ wanted you to be here.”  
  
“I do want to be here.”  
  
“Raptor and I talked Ronpo out of sending you to Rebellion headquarters with Champ. Raptor thinks you’re too traumatized to make the journey and being around Champ in this state would give you a mental breakdown. I said you’re the parent of my baby and I don’t want to be separated from you. He relented.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
Naga reached out and took his hand. Stinger squeezed a little, thankful for that small touch to ground him, keep him here, remind him of what he was fighting for. “I think you already know what I’m going to tell you,” Naga said, “but I need it to be clear. Don’t go after Scorpio. Let the others do that. Lucky and Garu already have a lead on him, and they think they can bring him down with some of Hammie’s shinobi skills.”  
  
Stinger knew that, but Naga continued.  
  
“And just… go to your shifts and do whatever Ronpo and Raptor tell you to do. Rebellion wants you thrown into a holding cell for aiding and abetting a Jark Matter ally. Ronpo convinced them you were acting irrationally because he’s your brother, but they want to see you tow the line.”  
  
_ Gods _ , Stinger hadn’t known things were that bad with Rebellion leadership, but he was more than willing to just lay low and do what was asked of him around the ship. No way anyone was sending him out on missions for the foreseeable future.  
  
“And finally, just come with me to all my appointments. I don’t like going alone.”  
  
Sometimes the appointments were with Raptor, but oftentimes they were virtual visits with a Rebellion doctor. Seemed like Naga had doctor’s appointments all the time, along with vitamins and a special diet. (Spada helped with the food, didn’t ask too many questions, but everyone knew Naga was pregnant, in spite of no one officially telling them.)  
  
“Yes.” Stinger gently kissed the back of Naga’s hand. “I will do all that.”  
  
“Good.” Naga stifled a yawn. “Now can we go to bed?”  
  
That sounded perfect to Stinger.  
  
He took a quick shower and threw on a pair of pajama pants. (More often than not, he slept naked next to Naga, but he was not pressing his luck tonight.) Naga was already under the covers, lamp on his side of the bed off. Stinger crawled under the covers as well, turning off his light, plunging the room into darkness. Naga was breathing evenly, but not quite deeply enough to indicate he was asleep. He was on his side, back to Stinger. Honestly, as the baby got bigger, that seemed to be the most comfortable position for him to sleep in. Perhaps Stinger should get him one of those body pillows that didn’t let him roll over. He might like that.   
  
Stinger moved close to Naga, pressing up against his back, sliding an arm around his abdomen.  
  
… and then he felt the slight flutter against his arm.  
  
_ Gods. _ He swore a little internally, tears coming again. He was a colossal asshole who did not deserve Naga’s love or forgiveness  _ at all _ .  
  
He moved his hand so he was pressing his palm against Naga’s stomach. The tiny flutters continued. That was his baby. Moving for the first time. Naga shifted a little, moving his hand on top of Stinger’s. “That’s why I was calling you earlier,” he whispered.  
  
He couldn’t apologize again, and he felt too guilty to say anything else, so he just said softly, “I love you, Naga. I love you so much.”  
  
“I know,” was the simple reply.  
  
\------------------  
  
Several things happened at all once three weeks later.  
  
Rebellion suddenly dropped all pending investigations against Stinger. He thought the messages about the cancelled proceedings were odd, until he got a message from Champ a few minutes later.  _ These Rebellion lawyers are annoying. I set them straight. Back at the ship in an hour. You better have my Kyutama, partner _ .  
  
He’d called Champ immediately, sobbing and probably sounding half-hysterical.  
  
“Stinger, partner,” Champ kept saying. “You’re organic. You have to breathe. How is Naga?”  
  
“He’s fine.”  
  
“And he didn’t dump you?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“That’s good. You got any pictures of the baby?”  
  
“Raptor did a scan a few days ago. Baby’s getting bigger. I can send them to you.”  
  
“Do that. I want to see my goddaughter on my way back.”  
  
Stinger laughed. “Who says you’re her godfather?”  
  
“I think it’s the least you can do for me, partner. Moo!”  
  
The moment Champ hit the bridge of the ship, they got a message from Lucky. He, Garu, Spada and Hammie had tracked Scorpio to Earth once again and cornered him. They were asking for Raptor, Balance and Ronpo to back them up.  
  
Ronpo had looked at Stinger long and hard. “If you want to go, you can.”  
  
Swallowing a lump in his throat, he ground out, “I can’t.”  
  
Ronpo nodded, and they left.  
  
He listened on their radio frequency, stomach in knots as they stormed the building where Scorpio was, Rebellion reinforcements joined them. Naga sat pressed to his side, holding his hand. Champ paced the bridge, patting his shoulder every so often. Stinger thought hours had passed, but was shocked to see only minutes had.  
  
_ “We got him,” _ Lucky confirmed.  _ “He’s in cryo-freeze, headed for a Rebellion facility.”  
  
_ Stinger slumped forward, head in his hands.   
  
“It’s over, partner,” Champ said.  
  
Naga rubbed his back.  
  
Stinger looked over at Naga. “Scorpio doesn’t matter anymore. He was the past. I have a future that doesn’t include him.”  
  
Naga got that almost-smile on his face, gently taking Stinger’s hand.  
  
He wasn’t just saying those words because he knew everyone wanted to hear them. He truly believed those words now. He didn’t have time to deal with his brother. He had his family, and that was all that mattered. He returned Naga’s smile.  
  
“Champ says he’s the baby’s godfather.”  
  
Naga’s almost smile grew. “Oh really? He’s going to have to speak to Balance about that.”  
  
Champ cracked his knuckles. “Oh, I can take Balance. No problem.”  
  
Naga shook his head. “You can both be the baby’s godfather.”  
  
“Don’t tell him that,” Stinger teased. “I want to see him fight Balance.”  
  
He got a playful nudge in response. Champ mooed. “There’s no justice in fighting Balance. It wouldn’t be a fair fight.”  
  
“You heard him,” Stinger said to Naga.  
  
_ This _ was the family and the future he wanted.  
  
  
_ Three Months Later  
_ Something was wrong. Stinger felt that the moment he got back to the ship after fighting Akenba, a particularly nasty Vice Shogun who appeared on Earth. The day had started out nice. Ronpo gave them the day off, and Hammie suggested they all go to a park and barbeque. Spada agreed immediately, recruiting Hammie and Garu to help him prepare the food. They went down to the park mid-morning to get things set up for lunch.   
  
Stinger and Naga had a chance to call his parents that morning. Vega was three and a half months old and had started holding up her own head, smiling and laughing, looking around a lot more. Intellectually, Stinger knew she probably didn’t recognize them, because they’d only seen her for a few hours a handful of times since she was a week old. But she was a smart baby. His dad had been holding her and she made happy noises at the datapad, tiny hand reaching out to pat the screen. They’d talked to her and she made her baby noises back at them. Gods, he missed her so much. She had silver hair and eyes like Naga, but his orange scorpion tail. And she was so big now. When she’d been born, he was able to hold her against his chest with one hand. Not anymore.  
  
Naga had still been a little emotional after talking to Vega when they headed down to the surface with everyone else. He did a pretty poor job of disguising that he’d been crying, and that earned him a giant bear hug from Balance and Champ demanding pictures so he could check that Vega was growing properly. (Not that Champ had any idea how organic children grew, but his concern was almost sweet.)  
  
The barbeque had been excellent, as was all of Spada’s cooking. That was honestly what Stinger missed the most when he went home. Oh, his parents were decent cooks and he was no slouch himself, but none of them could compare to Spada.  
  
Then Akenba hit the park, infecting civilians with a parasite.  
  
They’d had to split up. Lucky, Garu, Hammie and Balance had gone after the civilians, subduing them enough to get them to a local hospital for treatment. The rest of them went after Akenba, where they had to split up again because she sent in some Jark Matter footsoldiers to impede their progress. Everything had been chaotic and Stinger was worried sick he didn’t have eyes on everyone who went with him.  
  
And then Akenba just retreated.  
  
Stinger was with Lucky, and they were the last two back to the ship. He’d gotten check ins from everyone else, and Raptor confirmed the moment they were back on the Orion. Raptor, Garu and Hammie got there first. Then Balance showed up with Tsurugi and Spada. Champ appeared, practically carrying Naga, and said he thought he’d been hurt in the skirmish in the woods beyond the park. But they were all there and accounted for, and now Stinger and Lucky had just gotten back.  
  
Utter chaos reigned in the galley.  
  
Naga was curled into a fetal position on the couch,  _ sobbing _ . Balance was flailing around him, trying to ask questions and figure out what was wrong, while Raptor did synchronized flailing, begging Naga to come to the infirmary. Champ was standing by and said he’d carry Naga there. Tsurugi was loudly telling Champ to just take Naga to the infirmary. Spada, Garu and Hammie looked like they were trying to help, but had no idea what to do. Lucky followed Stinger into the room.  
  
His heart was pounding and fear gripped his spine. Stinger was across the room in a few steps, hands cupping Naga’s face. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Naga?”  
  
But Naga didn’t really appear to be coherent. His skin was hot to the touch, flushed and damp with sweat. His eyes were glazed, not really focusing on anything. Suddenly, Naga focused on him and reached out, grabbing his jacket, “I want to go home!” he sobbed. “She can’t make me do anything if I go home! Please let me go home!”  
  
“Does he want to go to the Ophiuchus System?” Balance asked.  
  
“No,” Naga all but howled.   
  
“He wants to go to Needle,” Stinger supplied, pushing Naga’s damp hair away from his face. “That’s what he thinks of as home. That’s where Vega is.”  
  
“Stinger,” Naga continued crying. “We can go home, right? I want to go there.”  
  
None of this was right, and Lucky piped up with, “The people we took to the hospital with the parasite infections had the same symptoms. Running a fever and crying.”  
  
Swear words in several languages came to mind. Stinger stood up, squeezing Naga’s hand. “Champ,” he said softly. And the robot moved in, easily hoisting Naga in his arms. Naga was beyond fighting and just let himself be manhandled, continuing to cry. Champ carried him out of the room and down the hall towards the infirmary.  
  
“Stinger!” was Naga’s sharp cry. Stinger touched his head.  
  
“I’m here,” he replied.  
  
The walk to the infirmary seemed endless, and Raptor hurried after them.   
  
Champ gently deposited Naga on the first empty infirmary bed he saw. Raptor came in and grabbed the scanner. Stinger was grateful the others hadn’t followed. The moment Naga was on the bed, Champ retreated with a soft, “I’ll be outside if you need anything.”  
  
Stinger nodded, focus entirely on Naga. He wasn’t curled up as badly as in the galley, but he was still crying hard. Stinger reached out and took his hand, vaguely remembering Lucky saying that the parasites weren’t passed from person to person. Just through initial contact. (Raptor would scan them all later just to be sure.) The scanner beeped with the results. Raptor looked stunned for a moment, before saying, “It’s the parasites, but he got hit with much more than the civilians.”  
  
“Will he be okay?” Stinger knew he was almost shouting, but didn’t care.  
  
“Yes, we caught this early.”   
  
Raptor moved around the infirmary and grabbed two infusers.  
  
One, she explained, was a sedative and painkiller. That would calm Naga down and hopefully bring down his fever, which was spiking uncomfortably high. The other was the first dose of the anti-parasite medication.   
  
“That medication will make him very sick. He’ll need multiple doses over the next few days and recovery will take a few weeks.”  
  
Stinger swore aloud this time.  
  
The first infusion caused Naga to relax and fall asleep in a moment, so he didn’t have a reaction to the second dose. He only left to go to their room and get Naga’s afghan, figuring he could worry about Naga bathing and changing clothes before tomorrow’s dose. Raptor said Naga would need to remain in the infirmary until all the doses were done, and would need nutrient infusions because he would be unlikely to be able to keep food down.  
  
Later that night, Champ came into the infirmary with a report.  
  
_ “Intel reports just came back from Rebellion headquarters. If Akenba targets someone as badly as she did Naga, there’s a reason. It’s usually because she thinks the parasites will unlock some emotional imbalance and make the person rage in a frenzy. There’s a couple documented incidents on other planets. She must have thought she’d be able to do that to Naga because he’s from the Ophiuchus System.”  
  
_ _ “But Naga didn’t go into a frenzy.”  
  
_ _ “No. And I think that’s because he’s not emotionless, like the others from his system. He left voluntarily, survived Gilead, married you, had a baby… he’s not a typical Ophiuchiuan.”  
  
_ _ “So instead he just wanted to go home?”  
  
_ _ “He could feel the parasites messing with his head. He feels safe at home. That’s probably why he wanted to go there.”  
  
_ Naga might be able to tell him tomorrow, if he was more coherent.  
  
Stinger put his head in his hands, already waiting out the night.  
  
\-----------------  
  
The next morning, he was walking from their room back to the infirmary. At Raptor’s insistence, he had taken a quick shower and changed clothes, and gotten clean clothes for Naga. She wanted him to eat breakfast, and then he could get Naga bathed and settled before the next treatment. His datapad went off with an incoming video call. He frowned. His parents?  
  
“Stinger!” his mom asked as he answered the call. “What’s going on?”  
  
There was no way they knew Naga was sick yet, and he hadn’t really slept last night, so the only thing that came out of his mouth was, “What?”  
  
Then he heard Vega  _ screaming _ in the background.  
  
Heart pounding, he asked, “Kaa-chan, what’s going on  _ there _ ? Is Vega okay?”  
  
“Physically, yes. But she’s been fussing off and on all morning, and then started this when I called you.” His mother looked worried. His father came into the screen view, holding the sobbing baby.   
  
“Vega?” Stinger said, confused, but then she did something he wasn’t expecting. His not-very-old baby turned her head towards the sound of his voice and started reaching for the datapad. She was still fussing, but was a little bit calmer. Large tears rolled down her cheeks. “Shh, baby girl,” Stinger tried to soothe her. “It’s okay. We’re going to be okay.” Vega hiccuped, looking miserable, but no longer flat-out screaming.  
  
“Is everything okay?” his mom asked again.  
  
Vega had her tiny baby palm pressed against the datapad screen. Stinger rested a finger on the screen where her hand was. “Not really,” he admitted. “Naga’s sick.”  
  
“How sick?” his mom questioned, looking concerned.  
  
“Parasite infection. He’s going to be okay, but the treatment will make him sick for a few weeks.”  
  
“By the gods,” she breathed.  
  
“I’ll call you later tonight,” Stinger promised. “We’re talking to a Rebellion doctor this morning, and she’ll be able to give us more details about the treatment and recovery.”  
  
“Call us, and take care of Naga,” his dad said.  
  
Stinger nodded, and then looked directly at his daughter, “Bye baby girl, I’ll talk to you later today okay. You have to be good for Jii-chan and Baa-chan.”  
  
Vega made a noise that said she wasn’t happy, but she was no longer crying.  
  
He disconnected the call and got to the infirmary.  
  
Naga wasn’t very lucid, but Stinger was able to get him in the shower and changed into clean pajamas, settled back into an infirmary bed with his afghan.   
  
The Rebellion doctor, Sugimoto, gave him the details.  
  
_ “During the treatments, Naga is going to be feverish and weak, most likely unable to keep down liquids or solid food. He’ll need regular hydration and nutrient infusions, and Raptor will have to keep a close eye on his fever. Can’t let it spike too much. He also likely won’t be very coherent during the treatments, but should be fine once those are over. From the scans Raptor sent, Naga needs six treatments, so five more to go. He’ll need at least three weeks after the treatments to recover. He’ll feel weak and tired, and just want to sleep, and that’s exactly what he should do. He’ll start to feel better gradually, but shouldn’t rush things.”  
  
_ Naga was strong, he would get through this.  
  
Stinger just wished he didn’t have to.  
  
\------------------  
  
“This place is nice.” Naga glanced over at him. “How much are we paying for this?”  
  
Stinger gave him a sidelong long as he drove the speeder down the winding and scenic route to the tiny mountain resort. “I got a discount.”  
  
Naga sighed. “I want a number.”  
  
Stinger gave him the cost.  
  
“That was a good discount,” was Naga’s only comment.  
  
Naga was almost two weeks into the official recovery period from the treatment. For six days, he’d been feverish and incoherent, seeming to go between night terrors and hallucinations, babbling about monsters, and things hurting him, and people wanting him to do bad things. Two days after the last treatment, he’d opened his eyes and reasonably asked what happened and where he was, which caused Stinger to start crying to relief. He’d also been hungry, which was a good sign.   
  
He still got tired very easily, but was able to walk further, do more of the daily exercises that Raptor assigned. Another week, and he’d be cleared to go back to work.   
  
So Stinger got the idea to ask for leave time, just a long weekend. This was a wooded Rebellion-controlled planet, and the little mountain resort offered Stinger a massive discount on a suite with multiple bedrooms. The place had gardens, hiking trails, a hot spring, fireplaces, a restaurant. Plus Stinger’s parents and Vega were meeting them there, and his parents had insisted on paying half the bill. Their leave time had been granted, and the planet was a short journey from where the Orion was orbiting. HIs parents arrived earlier that morning.  
  
“We’re here,” Stinger announced, pulling their rented speeder into the parking lot. “Cabin ten,” he replied. “My parents already checked in.”  
  
Stinger got out of the speeder and grabbed their bags, while Naga slowly navigated getting out himself. Stinger rounded the speeder and offered him a hand. Naga frowned. “Is that our daughter?”  
  
Stinger listened for a moment and caught the sound of a baby screaming. He sighed. “That sounds like her.”  
  
Naga reached out for his bag.   
  
Stinger shook his head. “Go get Vega. The sooner one of us has her, the sooner the screaming will be over.”  
  
His parents were already coming out of the cabin, and his mom was holding their baby, who was predictably screaming and reaching out towards them. Naga hurried towards them, and scooped the baby into his arms. She quieted immediately, but then made a demanding noise, flinging her tiny fist towards Stinger. Naga gave him a look that clearly said,  _ the princess has spoken _ . Stinger joined him and Vega reached out, gently patting him when he got close enough.  
  
“How long has she been screaming?” Stinger asked.  
  
His mom smiled. “Only since your speeder stopped.” He returned the smile, giving his mom a quick hug, followed by his dad. “Good to see you two,” she added, and then gave Naga a one-armed hug as he balanced the baby. “You look a lot better.”  
  
“I feel a lot better,” was the tiny, but pleased reply.  
  
His dad hugged Naga in turn, and then said, “You two should see this cabin. I think Stinger got too good a deal on the place.”  
  
“Tou-chan,” he replied, shaking his head. His dad grabbed the bags from Stinger, and Naga turned to him, gently transferring Vega into his arms. He saw why. Naga was starting to look tired. He’d hit about his limit from the traveling today.  
  
Vega made a noise. He looked down at her and she cooed. His mom stood next to him, smiling at the baby. “She knows you both,” she said. “I think that’s why she screams when she knows you’re near.”  
  
“She’s intuitive and dramatic,” Stinger stated. He glanced at Naga, knowing he needed to sit down, if not lay down for a while. “It’s been a long journey. Let’s get settled in the cabin.”  
  
“Absolutely,” Stinger’s mom said and then led them into the cabin.  
  
The place was big. Three bedrooms, large living room, decent-sized kitchen and dining table, window view straight out into the woods. His mom said the master bedroom was theirs, with a private bathroom, and the baby’s crib was already in their room, along with her bags, playpen and carrier. The other two bedrooms had a shared bathroom and his parents were taking one of those bedrooms.   
  
When they finally shut the door to their room, Vega was cranky and ready for her nap. “Great timing,” Stinger said with a grin. “You and the baby can sleep.”  
  
“Very funny,” Naga replied dryly, but had to stifle a yawn. He took off his shoes and changed into more comfortable clothes. He watched as Stinger got Vega settled into her crib and sang to her a little. Gods, how much he missed just taking care of his daughter. Naga was smiling as he got under the covers. “Just let Vega wake me up,” he muttered.  
  
“I will,” Stinger promised. He crossed the room to the bed and gently kissed Naga’s forehead. “Hey Naga?”  
  
“We made the right decision coming here, right?”  
  
Naga nodded. “Yes. I didn’t realize how much I wanted to be near Vega again, and we don’t know what will happen and now… this just feels right.”  
  
“Good. Now go to sleep. My dad is making dinner.”  
  
“How many courses?”  
  
“Knowing him, at least four.”  
  
Naga laughed. “I’ll be ready.”  
  
\------------------  
  
The weekend passed quickly.   
  
The weather on this planet was warm. Mornings were cooler. Naga wasn’t up for any of the nearby hiking trails, but had insisted that Stinger and his mother go try them one morning. Naga and his dad stayed back at the cabin, drinking tea (Naga) and coffee (his dad), and taking turns bouncing the baby and getting her to giggle. The trails were quiet and spacious, the trees here seeming much taller and more ancient than anything they got at home. “I wish we could travel more,” his mom said wistfully. “We never got to when you kids were little, just not enough money. And now, with Jark Matter, it’s dangerous even for Rebellion-controlled planets.” She let out a long breath. “I hope when Vega is a little older, we’ll be able to go more places. I’d like to take her to the beaches in the Vela System.”  
  
“I hope so too,” Stinger replied softly.  
  
He didn’t add that they were closing in on the Vice Shoguns and Don Armage. Their stronghold was in the Southern Cross System, and that was their next destination when Naga was cleared to work again. (Lucky was also on leave, taking care of some business on his home planet in the Leo System. The others were doing rigorous ship maintenance, and both Stinger and Naga had gotten messages from Balance and Champ complaining about her and Tsurugi and their lectures. Stinger found the messages amusing because those things weren’t happening to him.)  
  
The little resort had a swimming pool behind the cabins, and hot springs off a walking trail a little bit further away. Naga and Stinger got away one morning and went to the hot springs. He enjoyed watching Naga relax into the hot water, looking like he felt better. Eventually, Naga got close to Stinger and threaded his arms around his neck, and Stinger wrapped both arms around his waist, holding him close, just feeling him breathe and be near him.   
  
In the afternoon, all of them went to the pool. His parents were getting drinks at the tiny poolside bar. Stinger’s parents no longer drank alcohol, hadn’t for thirty years, simply because alcohol could get expensive and they’d had their fill in their youth. Even Stinger and Naga themselves were not big drinkers, so his parents were just getting lemonade and frozen slush drinks with no alcohol. Stinger had gone in the pool to cool off, while Naga took the baby and laid down on a lounge chair in the shade. He got out of the pool and went to join them.  
  
“Want me to take her so you can get in the pool?”  
  
Naga shook his head. Vega was curled up on his chest, asleep. “No,” he said softly, glancing down at their daughter. “Soon she’ll be too big for this. I want to enjoy it while I can.”  
  
Stinger reached out, gently stroking her downy soft hair. She was growing too fast, already so much bigger than when they left. But she knew them, recognized them, and that made Stinger feel just a little bit better about this. He had been so afraid that she would forget them, that eventually transitioning back into being with them full-time would be hard for her. Knowing what he did now, he knew she’d go through that with ease.   
  
“I don’t think she’s going to outgrow sleeping on us,” Stinger added with a grin. “Sometimes you just need your parents to be close.” He glanced over at the bar, at his parents. “When everything at the encampment with Scorpio happened, I was injured and sent home to recover. I didn’t really leave my room and I know my parents were worried. I just… couldn’t.” Naga reached out and squeezed his wrist. “And then Mrs. Wong brought over her dog. Said she needed someone to take care of him for a while. And my mom informed me I was.” He shrugged. “I like dogs and cats. I came out of my room with the dog and broke down because I couldn’t find his food. And my dad was there, knew it wasn’t about the food, and he ended up just holding me while I broke down. And the dog sat in my lap.”  
  
“When did you find your Kyutama?”   
  
“Shortly after that. I was walking the dog.”  
  
“What was the dog’s name?”  
  
“Scout.” Stinger smiled. “He lives with Mags now. She spoils him rotten.” He paused, “Then Ronpo and Raptor found me, explained what the Kyutama was. And then they found Champ and some of the others.”  
  
“You started looking for the other Kyurangers.”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“And that’s how you got sent undercover to find me and Balance.” Naga looked down at Vega, smiling as her little tail tapped happily. “I sometimes think about all the cosmic coincidences that led to  _ this _ , to us becoming a family. And then I realize I don’t really care how we came together, I’m just happy that we are.”  
  
“Me too.”  
  
“Stinger?”  
  
“Yeah, Naga?”  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
He blinked. “For what?”  
  
“For all of  _ this _ . Getting sick. That was the last thing we needed.”  
  
“That wasn’t your fault,” Stinger said gently.  
  
A tear rolled down Naga’s cheek. “You and Tsurugi were leading things. I was supposed to stay with Spada, but we got separated. That’s how Akenba found me and got me.” Naga sniffed hard, trying not to disturb the baby. “I couldn’t really think. All these instincts were telling me to hurt anyone that got near me, and I didn’t want to. I just wanted to go home, because I thought that would be safe. And then Champ found me, and none of us can actually hurt Champ, and I let him take me back to the ship because I knew everyone would help me when I got there.”  
  
“You were still able to walk when you and Champ got back. That’s why he let you go to the galley at first, but then you got hysterical and he carried you to the infirmary.” Stinger reached out, gently pushing Naga’s hair from his face. “None of this was your fault,” he repeated. “I know we say stick together in a fight, but sometimes we get separated. It just happens. And you knew something was wrong and let the right people help you.” He smiled. “Akenba underestimated you.” He reached up and wiped away Naga’s tears. “Besides, we’re supposed to be relaxing and having fun.”  
  
Naga forced a tiny smile. “This is nice.”  
  
“My parents are going to some card game thing for a few hours later this afternoon, around the same time the baby goes down for her nap.”  
  
Naga narrowed his eyes. “That was a sad pick-up line.” But then he grinned.  
  
Stinger leaned forward and stole a kiss that Naga eagerly returned. “You want to mess around later this afternoon?” he said in an undertone against Naga’s lips.  
  
Naga kissed him quickly once more and replied, “I want to do  _ a lot _ more than that.”  
  
\-----------------  
  
His parents went off to their card game, and Vega was put down for her nap in the living room. Stinger brought the baby monitor into their room, and turned up the volume. This was the first time in a while Naga had energy for something like this, and Stinger intended to savor every moment.   
  
They took their time, undressing slowly, pressing hot kisses to each newly exposed area. Naga squirmed underneath him, breathy noises turning on Stinger even more.  
  
Typically, Stinger let Naga take the lead with what he wanted to do, and this was easy to determine. Naga’s hips were moving against him, legs wrapped around his waist, hot and wet and eager. Stinger gently kissed him, moving inside him, Naga moaning as they got as close as he wanted. And they both had birth control implants now, so another baby wasn’t happening until they both decided they were ready.  
  
Everything was a blur of heat and pleasure.  
  
Afterwards, Stinger held Naga close, listening to their breathing return to normal. The baby was still asleep.  
  
“Stinger?”  
  
“Hmm?”  
  
“Do you want to have more children?”  
  
Stinger looked at Naga. “Vega’s only four months old, and we haven’t really had time to think about it. Why?”  
  
Naga shrugged. “I know we can’t right now, not for a while probably, but I was just thinking, I wouldn’t want her to be too much older than her siblings. Might be nice if they were close in age.”  
  
“You really would want to have another baby?”  
  
“It’s painful and not a lot of fun, but the end result is worth it.”  
  
Stinger kissed Naga soundly. “You’re amazing. How many?”  
  
“I don’t know. I was thinking one at a time.” Naga looked at him. “Do you have a number?”  
  
“Five.”  
  
Naga nudged him playfully. Stinger grinned back, knowing Naga knew he was teasing. He grabbed a kiss, and then another one, Naga sighing into the kisses happily.   
  
“One at a time,” he agreed.   
  
  
_ One Year Later  
_ The annual village festival was happening.  
  
Vega had just turned a year old. Stinger could hardly believe that this time, one year ago, Naga had literally been giving birth. Which was why they missed the festival last year. So much happened to them, but five months ago, they’d finally been able to come home for good, be with their daughter and start planning for a future in the village.  
  
Naga was intrigued by the festival, which honored practically everyone in the village for all kinds of life achievements and milestones. New babies, newly married couples, new grandparents, kids who did well in school, people in the community helping each other. Really, this was an opportunity for them to come together as a community, eat, play games, and remember that all of them made important contributions. Naga hadn’t wanted to participate in some of the ceremonies they were eligible for, wasn’t particularly good with being in the spotlight, but Stinger knew the village would find a subtle way to show their thanks and welcome Vega.   
  
Their concession had been Naga agreeing his parents could take Vega to the new grandparents ceremony and show her off.   
  
Stinger smiled, holding Vega and letting her look out the kitchen window of his parents’ apartment. She was wide-eyed, watching the foot traffic to the festival and pointing out people she knew, either with a noise or something resembling their name.   
  
They’d been there for her first real words and her first steps, something that Stinger was eternally grateful for.   
  
His mom was packing the food they were bringing to the lunch potluck, while his dad had Naga sitting on the couch so he could put the traditional braids in his hair. Stinger’s parents had given them brand new yukata for this. His was black and white, with an orange obi, while Naga’s was all varying shades of silver. They even made Vega a peach blossom one.   
  
Stinger was so excited they were here, going to the festival at all.  
  
They were home.  _ Finally _ .  
  
Fin.  
13 May 2019 - 24 April 2020

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, friends! I love all my readers and love writing Kyuranger! On to the next adventure! Drop me a kudos or comment, let me know you're out there!


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